No Dream: Western Fantasy Raises $1 Million for VOA

Western Fantasy chaircouple Gayle and Ed Novak. (Photo by David Zalubowski, Special to The Denver Post)

An effort one year in the making has paid off handsomely for Volunteers of America. Western Fantasy 2010, chaired by Ed and Gayle Novak, has netted $1 million. Maybe a half-million more. The counting is not yet complete.

The Novaks — he’s a longtime Denver restaurateur and she is midway through her second term as president of the Denver Center Alliance — accepted the challenge of organizing this dress-Western extravaganza within days after the 2009 edition was done. They had a big job ahead of them, thanks to a lackluster economy that continues to have people thinking twice before laying out huge sums of money to attend or help sponsor such grand-scale events as this.

But they’re nothing if not tenacious, and between Ed’s business connections and Gayle’s infectious enthusiasm and social media savvy, excitement not only was generated, it continued to grow as time progressed.

Gayle never left the house without her digital camera and chronicled every last get-together — including committee meetings, the kickoff party, the invitation-addressing session, the patron party and the decorating of the venue — for posting on her Facebook wall. She also shared links to news media coverage garnered along the way, and when it was announced that country superstar Wynonna Judd would be the headliner, Gayle posted regular links that would enable her extensive circle of Facebook friends to watch or read video, TV, newspaper and magazine snippets that featured Wynonna.

Gayle’s efforts paid off big time because when the big date (Oct. 23) arrived, Western Fantasy had sold out and extra dinner tables had to be installed to accommodate everyone who wanted to be there. Click here to see pictures.

Ed Novak’s primary responsibility was gathering corporate support. Working with Western Fantasy’s co-founder, Sharon Magness Blake, he assembled a team that included some of Denver’s best-known business leaders: Chris Castillian of Anadarko Petroleum, Pat Cortez (Wells Fargo Bank), David Kikumoto (Denver Management Advisors), Kevin MacCary (United Launch Alliance), Kate Paul (Delta Dental), Patricia Robinson (MediaNews Group), Dan Scherer (CBS Outdoor) and Jean Galloway, also a Western Fantasy co-founder. They were advised to get out there and sell. Which they did.

They also switched things up a bit in terms of a theme. The National Western Events Center became the Golden Garter Saloon, and Bouquets, headed by BJ Dyer and Guenther Vogt, spent months planning and a full week executing a vision that Vogt describes as “One of the more fun decor challenges for BJ and me.”

Their team created two grand entries that were draped in red and black lace fabric illuminated by
the light of three crystal chandeliers. From that point, guests could proceed down the stairs leading to the pre-dinner cocktail area on the main arena level. Cocktails were served at a turn-of-the-century style bar built for the event, complete with backbar and ornate mirrors.

The bar also was where the 1,200 guests could “take a shot” at winning one of several dozen items donated by Hyde Park Jewelry. Golden Garter “saloon girls” Frances Owens, Layne Fleishman, Gail Johnson, Stephanie Odak, Michelle Davidson, Kay Burke, Patti Shyne, Denise Snyder and Allison Klein wore yellow boas as they sold numbered shot glasses for $75 each. Even those whose glasses didn’t correspond to a jewel didn’t walk away empty-handed: the glasses were filled with a shot of whiskey or a margarita.

Feather boas weren’t the exclusive accessory of the saloon girls, though. The greeters — including Keri Christiansen, Heather Brecl, Sarah Sena and Kristina Davidson — wore red ones as they circulated on the red carpet reception area where country crooner Pete Martinez entertained as guests surrendered their cars to the parking valets. The Young Professionals support team wore black. Monica Owens, Quinn Washington, Jen Daurio, Dana Berry, Tera Haselden and Vince Abrue were part of this group.

The Epicurean Catering dinner of beef tenderloin and a strawberry-peach cobbler was served in a “grand ballroom” setting that Bouquets decorated with chandeliers and illuminated fabric suspended from the rafters to create a more intimate feel. Tables were set out in quads of four, draped with red and black velvet linens and alternating centerpieces. “Half the tables had centerpieces with orbs filled with two varieties of red and pink roses (over 3,000 in all) decorated with crystal beads and tall white ostrich feathers atop a Victorian gold relief container. The other tables were centered with made-for-the-occasion lamps with ornate shades of beaded fringe atop an illuminated glass cylinder filled with white
rose petals,” Vogt said.

In addition to the entertainment, a highlight of the evening came when emcees Angie Austin and Chris Parente from KWGN-Channel 2 announced that VOA’s Humanitarian of the Year award for 2010 would be going to Bill and Yvonne McCallum. The McCallums (he’s the retired chief executive at Great-West Life Assurance Co.) have chaired two previous Western Fantasy galas (2007 and 2009) and are active in such other philanthropic causes as Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Bonfils Blood Center, Teammates for Kids and Beacon Center’s Cherish the Children Guild.

Having a new theme, though, didn’t detract from a couple of well-loved Western Fantasy traditions, namely having Sharon Magness Blake open the dinner service by presenting the colors while circling the arena floor on Thunder, mascot of the Denver Broncos, while country music great Lee Greenwood sings his signature piece, “God Bless the USA.”

Sharon and her husband, attorney Ernie Blake, then took their seats at a table they shared with Sharon’s brothers, Harry and Jimmy Costello; Sharon’s sister-in-law, Julie Costello; Ernie’s son and daughter-in-law, David and Melissa Blake; Larry Mizel; CBS4 meterologist Ed Greene and his wife, Barbara, the event’s graphic designer; and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Nearby were the chair of the VOA board, Kalleen Malone, and her husband, Bob; VOA-Colorado chief Dianna Kunz; Phyllis Coors with a group that included her son, Scott, and Sculptured House owner Michael Dunahay; Qwest chief Ed Mueller and his wife, Susan; Dick and Marcia Robinson; Steve Brett and Linda Shoemaker; the former speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, Terrance Carroll; John and Wendy Clayton; former Cigna executive Daryl Edmonds and his wife, Tomma; Richard and Nancy Gooding from event sponsor Paragon Ranch; Brian and Deanna Klipp; Zach Wolfel; Ellen Stewart and Donald Vancil, there with her law partner Larry Martinez and his wife, Cheryl; Diane Huttner; Lyn and Dr. Michael Schaffer; Dave and Sue Palmer; Jane McAtee of Southwest Airlines; Steve and Sheila Dreiling; Troy and Allison Eid; Susan Stiff; Nick and Anne Hackstock; Jack and Adrienne Fitzgibbons; Scott and Kirsten Hamling; Don Kelin; Thierry and Sophie Kennel; Wendy Klomp Duncan, whose dance troupe added to the Golden Garter Saloon ambience; and Tom and Dianne Honig, who will chair Western Fantasy 2011.

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.